The Acacia Heart
by apinchofushyn
Summary: While Honoka is unable to stop her growing attractions towards her childhood friend, she doesn't realise that her feelings are mutual. The two start to learn about "love" and what it really means to love someone. [A Honoka x Umi fanfic with slight MakiNico and NozoEli]
1. Chapter 1

A/N: My grave has sunk deeper with this fanfic. I'll be working on both this and _Layers _at the same time.

I couldn't help myself. I needed a dose of HonoxUmi...

Disclaimer: I don't own Love Live!

* * *

_1 – _The heart beats

* * *

She didn't think she'd wake up this late. The ginger haired girl fought back a grimace.

_Umi-chan's going to scold me later. Again._

Running down the streets with a hand in her coat, Honoka tightened her grip on her school bag. _Ugh…Why is it so cold? _The ginger haired girl shivered slightly. Her right hand was starting to feel numb and she cursed herself for having forgotten to bring her gloves. Pushing her cream-coloured scarf further up her neck, the girl sighed, causing a puff of smoke to escape from her mouth.

While lamenting the fact that she was late again, she tried to think of an excuse for being late. She then thought better of it. Umi would immediately see through her and that would earn another set of scolding from the taller girl.

Honoka knew that it was her fault for oversleeping but she couldn't help it. No matter how many alarms she had set, she would turn it off and go back to the comfort of her bed. Even her sister, Yukiho, couldn't be bothered with her after trying she had tried shaking her for a good 15 minutes.

As the ginger haired girl rounded to a corner of an alley, she immediately spotted her two childhood friends.

It wasn't that hard to spot them – given that they stood out even among the morning crowd. Umi's long and tidy hair was unmistakeable given the unique shade of midnight blue it was in and Kotori's bird-nest-like hair was also unique in itself.

Both girls had their scarves wrapped comfortably around their necks and while Umi wore a matching plain blue coat and gloves, Kotori had on a contrasting white fluffy scarf and a dark coloured glove – one similar to Umi's. A tinge of regret rose within her and Honoka immediately wished she'd not woken up late this morning.

As she neared her two childhood friends, the ginger haired girl could already see the usual frown on the bluenete's face. Resigning herself to the torture of the blue haired girl's lecture, Honoka could only walk towards her childhood friends with her usual but sincere and guilty "Sorry, I'm late".

"Honoka..." The ginger haired girl dared a look at Umi whose eyes were twitching in irritation and mild anger.

"I'm really sorry! I overslept!" Honoka clasped her bare hands together with an apologetic bow.

Umi sighed. "That's the third time this week..."

"I'm really sorry! I can't help it! It's winter after all..."

"All the more you should learn to wake up on time!" The bluenete shot back.

"It's fine, isn't it? We still have some time before school actually starts..." Kotori, as usual, tried to calm the bluenete while trying to get the ginger haired girl out of trouble. Honoka gave the ash grey haired girl a bright smile, thanking the other girl silently.

"Kotori! You're spoiling her too much!" Umi said, exasperated.

"Let's just leave it as that first," the ash grey haired smiled sweetly. "We're going to be late if we don't hurry up."

"Alright..." Umi finally relented, as she softened a little at the gentle and and peaceful look Kotori gave her. No matter how angry Umi got, Kotori's presence and words always managed to have a soothing effect on her. Perhaps the grey haired girl was just good at handling Umi.

A twitch of irritation shot though the ginger haired girl for reasons she couldn't understand. Seeing the warm and gentle look Umi had given the ash-grey haired girl, Honoka couldn't help but feel a tinge of sadness. Umi only sported such a look when Kotori was present. She didn't think that she'd be able to cause such a warm expression to appear on the bluenete's face – the only expressions Umi wore around her were angry and exasperated ones. No matter what they did, she was the one who'd always make Umi mad, get scolded by the girl and cause the girl to sigh in vexation. They always argued – even about the most trivial things.

As such thoughts crossed her mind, the usually cheerful girl started to feel a little depressed.

Sensing that something was amiss, Umi turned to look at her childhood friend.

"Honoka…?" the blue haired girl sounded worried. She'd never seen such a dark and sad look on her childhood friend's face. It made her wonder what was wrong of all the sudden. Perhaps she'd gone too far in getting angry at her? But she hadn't even given her her usual lecture yet. So why did Honoka look so sad now? Not liking the kind of expression Honoka was sporting now, the blue haired girl touched the ginger haired girl's hands.

"U-Umi…chan…" a soft whisper from Honoka.

"Here, you must be freezing right?" Umi smiled warmly at Honoka, giving her a pair of gloves that looked similar to hers.

"Umi-chan…" Honoka looked up in surprise.

"I figured you'd be late and knowing you…you'll probably forget these." Umi tried to shrug nonchalantly but inside, she was a little embarrassed.

"Umi-chan…Thank you!" Honoka's eyes brightened as she pounced onto the blue haired girl. Knowing that Umi had thought and cared about her made her heart immensely warm and she couldn't help but throw herself onto her best friend.

"H-Honoka–"

"Thank you, Umi-chan," Honoka whispered softly, wrapping her arms around the taller girl's slim frame. "Really…thank you."

At the display of affection, Umi blushed furiously. She hadn't expected Honoka to hug her. It was also unusual for the ginger haired girl to hug her – Kotori usually was the one she clung onto. But she didn't hate the hug. Honoka's embrace had her heart pounding for reasons she cannot discern and warmth started to spread throughout her body.

She then stuttered, "H-Honoka…?"

Relishing in the warmth of Umi's body, Honoka had almost refused to let go. _She's so warm…_Honoka thought. _I wish I could stay like this forever…_

"H-Honoka!" Umi hissed into the other girl's ear.

Honoka shivered when she felt Umi's breath tickling against her sensitive ear. Her heart started to hammer against her chest, and a slight blush worked its way up to her cheeks.

"Honoka-chan…? Kotori's voice snapped her out of it and she immediately let go of the extremely red-faced Umi.

"S-Sorry, Umi-chan…you were so warm that I just…" the ginger haired girl trailed off, not knowing how she could explain to her childhood friend the feelings she'd felt when she hugged her. It was a confusing feeling – she didn't understand why her heart was racing and why she didn't want the moment to end.

"It's…okay…" Umi murmured, her face still red as she looked away. She too, was confused over heart pounding heart. How could such a small gesture make her heart race like that? What was wrong with her? It wasn't the first time Honoka had hugged her.

"Honoka-chan, Umi-chan, are you two okay?" Kotori voiced out anxiously. She'd seen the blushes on both of her childhood friend's face and got concerned over how the two friends were not making any eye contact after the hug.

"I-I'm fine…" the ginger haired girl forced a smile as she tried to calm her heart down. _It's just a hug. _

"I'm fine too…" Umi said.

"Then, shall we go?" the grey haired girl proposed, unaware of the raging turmoil inside her two childhood friends' heart.

Honoka made a sound of agreement as she put on the gloves that Umi lent her while the bluenete stayed silent as the trio headed for school.

* * *

A/N: Reviews are much appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2

2 – The heart worries

Honoka and Umi were arguing again.

Granted, it wasn't an unusual sight but the fact that they were arguing about something trivial was making their friends exasperated.

While Maki looked absolutely disinterested, Nozomi seemed to be having fun watching the duo quarrel. Meanwhile, Eli was trying to break up the fight, albeit vexed at the situation in front of her.

Kotori was looking back and forth between her two childhood friends, her eyebrows creased into a slight frown. She knew that the both of them would stop fighting soon and things would go back to normal, but she couldn't help but feel a little anxious when she watched her two friends argue.

"For the last time, Honoka, you're our leader! Please act like one!" Umi threw her hands up in exasperation. Sometimes she couldn't really understand why her childhood friend wouldn't heed her advice. It irked to the point of wanting to rip her hair out of her head.

"…it's just _a bread__, _Umi-chan! Cut me some slack!" Honoka pouted as she hid the melon bread she was holding behind her back.

"That's what you _always _say! Have you weighed yourself these past few days?! Need I remind you again that you have to keep fit since you're our center?!"

"I don't think my weight would increase that much…" Honoka muttered back, though a note of uncertainty can be detected from her voice. She then immediately grimaced. Maybe Umi had a point. _Note to self, weigh myself when I reach home…_

The blue haired girl looked like she was about to strangle her childhood friend any moment and Kotori, who'd been standing by their side for a couple of minutes now, thought that she should probably intervene and calm the bluenete down before the said girl explode and give Honoka yet another lecture on why she should keep an eye on her weight.

"Now, now, Umi-chan…" Kotori said soothingly, resting her hand on Umi's shoulder.

"Kotori– Are you going to defend her again?!"

Umi didn't understand why Kotori always had to take Honoka's side. If Kotori had taken her side, maybe Honoka would start to change those bad habits of hers. It's all because Kotori's too soft on her. To top it off, the ash-grey haired girl always spoiled the leader of μ's to no end.

Once again, Honoka noticed that Umi had visibly calmed down a little, though still annoyed once Kotori had stepped in. As much as it still irked her that Kotori's the only one who had this calming effect on the blue haired girl and as much as she's also grateful for Kotori's interference, she still could not understand why Kotori often took her side. It wasn't as if the ash-grey haired girl didn't know that the reason why Umi often scolded her was for her own good.

Before Kotori could answer Umi, Honoka interrupted, "Say, Kotori-chan…"

"Hm?" the said girl titled her head questioningly.

The ginger haired girl hesitated for a while before saying, "Why are you always taking my side…?"

A flash of surprise crossed the seamstress's face before looking at Honoka blankly.

"I would like to know that too…" Umi added, scowling a little.

"Well…" Kotori looked at loss, unsure of how she should answer the question. Come to think of it, why did she always take Honoka's side? Maybe she was pampering the ginger haired girl too much…

As the two waited for Kotori's response, the rest of μ's members seemed to perk up at Honoka's question. Even Maki, who was reading up until then had glanced over at the trio's direction with slight interest. Eli, who had given up trying to stop the quarrel, was now beside Nozomi, shooting the trio a curious look; and both Rin and Hanayo were now looking at their direction as well, halting in whatever they were doing before. Nico, who was at the computer surfing for information that probably pertained to the club, too, spun around, seemingly interested as well.

At the curious and intense stares emitting from her idol mates, Kotori couldn't help but feel like she's caught in a trap. It seemed like everyone was curious as to what the seamstress's answer was. Silence fell upon the room, making the said girl a little uncomfortable.

Shifting uneasily, Kotori blurted out the first thing that came into her mind. "H-Honoka-chan looked so pitiful when she's scolded by Umi-chan…so I…" the ash grey haired girl trailed off, unsure of how she should continue her sentence.

How was she even supposed to answer the question that she'd never thought about before? It'd seemed like the right thing to do – taking Honoka's side. She didn't want to see her childhood cum best friend reduced into a pile of tears after being lectured by the stern Umi – not that Honoka didn't deserve it. The ash-grey haired girl knew that Umi was right to tell the ginger haired girl off. What Kotori didn't understand was why she felt compelled to give into Honoka's pleas most of the time. Scratch that, _all the time._

The silence was interrupted with bouts of laughter. Not surprisingly, it came from Nico.

"What's that supposed to mean?" the third year laughed. "Honoka, even your childhood friend thinks you're pitiful…"

Even Maki resisted the urge to smile. It was true that she often felt bad for the older girl when she's scolded mercilessly by the lyricist but the red head, though she had never voiced it out (not that she would anyway), actually supported the blue haired girl inwardly. At first she didn't understand why Umi always had to scold Honoka but after talking to Kotori about it some time ago, she finally understood. Ever since then, the red head was more supportive of Umi.

"T-That's so mean of you!" Honoka burst out as she directed sulky pout at her childhood friend who was looking sheepish now. "Kotori-chan…!"

"I'm…sorry…?" Kotori looked apologetic as she scratched her head, embarrassed. She didn't mean to sound so…_mean. _

"What Kotori-chan meant was that she couldn't stand seeing Honoka-chan being scolded so harshly by Umi-chan," a certain purple haired girl interjected and paused, before adding, "…am I right to say that…?"

Noticeably relieved, Kotori nodded.

"Kotori-chan…" Honoka's tear-glazed eyes were now shinning with appreciation for her childhood friend.

Watching beside the ginger haired girl, Umi fisted her fingers together tightly. An irrational shot of jealousy had coursed through her when she saw the look of adoration in Honoka's eyes, directed at Kotori. _Stop it Umi. Why are you getting jealous over such small things? _

_Because Honoka never showed that kind of appreciation for you before. _Another small voice behind her mind chided.

That led her to wonder if she was really being too harsh on her childhood friend.

_But that's because she always never listens to me. _Umi tried to justify.

Shaking her head internally, Umi tried to crush all the irrational thoughts in her mind as she finally said, "I have Kyudo practice today…I'm sorry but I have to get going now."

"Umi-chan…" Honoka murmured, the fact that Umi hadn't said anything after Kotori's answer wasn't lost on her.

"Alright. How about we end club activities here for today? Everyone get a good night's rest and we'll start practice tomorrow?" Eli clasped her hands together and suggested.

With that, everyone started to pack up and clean up the clubroom.

Looking at the clock, Honoka turned to Umi worriedly, "Hey, Umi-chan…"

"Yes?" Umi answered without looking at the ginger haired girl.

The younger girl ignored the little stab of pain when Umi didn't turn around to look at her and said, "It feels like you're going to Kyudo practices more often now…won't you feel really tired?"

Umi now turned to look at her childhood friend, a smile plastered on her face. "I'm fine even though it is tiring. Besides, a tournament is coming up. I can't afford to slack now."

At that, a stab of guilt hit the ginger haired girl. After all, not only did Umi have to cope with her academic studies, she had Kyudo as well as Student Council work to do – in addition to her idol activities. A slight frown formed on the ginger haired girl's face at the realisation.

_No wonder Umi-chan gets mad at me for my laziness. _She thought. Besides, Honoka had to admit that Umi was amazing – in a way. With so many responsibilities, Umi was somehow able to stay sane. _If it were me…_ Honoka shuddered at the thought. There was no way she could be as disciplined and as organised as Umi.

It was not often that Honoka had voiced out her concern for her blue haired friend since she knew that Umi would be able to cope with all her responsibilities. However, Honoka couldn't help but worry about her childhood friend.

"You'll be…fine, right?" Honoka asked, hesitating a little. When Eli and Nozomi had handed the Student Council over to Umi, Kotori and her, she had wondered if Umi really was fine. She couldn't believe that anyone could juggle so many responsibilities all at once but Umi had proved her wrong in the beginning. Umi was a warrior – as well as a strategist. She knew what she was getting into and what she's doing. However, it seemed like her Kyudo was taking up much more of her time these few weeks and the younger girl was worried that Umi was pushing herself too far.

"…What's with that all of the sudden?" Umi asked, surprise evident in her voice. Honoka never was the one who would voice out such concerns. The bluenete had doubted that her childhood friend even remembered that she was handling so many things all at once. However, the very fact that Honoka had, and actually asked if she was fine made her smile inwardly.

"Well…I know that you'd be able to cope but…I'm still worried that you might pushing yourself too far…" Honoka said meekly as her voice trailed off.

A gentle smile crossed the older girl's features as she chided slightly, "A warrior doesn't give up so easily. Thanks for your concern, Honoka but I know my limits too. I'm sorry but I really have to get going now…"

The ginger haired girl finally nodded as she waved good-bye to her childhood friend who was now rushing out of the clubroom.

Once Umi was out of sight, a familiar voice spoke out from behind Honoka.

"…Looks like she's gone." Nico stated plainly.

"And in a hurry too," Eli added.

"Is she going to be fine?" Nozomi asked, fiddling with her deck of tarot cards.

"…Umi-chan said that she'd be fine – that she knows her limits." Honoka breathed out before sighing out loud, "I can't help but worry though…"

"If it's Umi-chan, then she'll definitely be fine!" Kotori said positively. "Besides, we're here for her."

"Kotori's right," Maki finally said, "And Honoka…before you worry about others…worry about yourself first." The red head added not-so-kindly, causing the ginger haired girl to cringe.

"Maki-chan…that's a low blow." Honoka whined.

"Don't get to upset nya~ Maki-chan's also worried about Umi-chan even though she doesn't show it~" Rin interjected with a cat-like smile, causing the blushing red head to immediately deny Rin's words, a full blush evident on her cheeks.

"Aw, Maki-chan's being shy~" Rin sang out teasingly, causing the angered red head to now chase after the cat-like girl around the clubroom.

"Looks like they are getting well along as usual…" Nico muttered under her breath upon seeing the sight of Maki now attempting to pull and squeeze Rin's cheeks as punishment for teasing her.

"Aw, don't be too jealous Nico-cchi," Nozomi, now beside the twin tailed girl smirked, a knowing look on her face.

"I-I-I'm not– " Nico sputtered out, her cheeks burning.

"Not..?" the purple haired girl echoed playfully, a glint of mischief dancing in her bright turquoise orbs.

The petite third year re-composed herself before asserting harshly, "I'm _not _jealous!"

Knowing that her best friend wouldn't stop teasing the twin tailed girl until she was thoroughly satisfied, Eli interjected.

"Nozomi…just leave it."

"Aw, If Eli-chi says so then…" Nozomi looked a little down as she sighed.

Nico almost looked relieved and was about to thank Eli when something – or rather, someone had collided against her back.

"…wha–"

Within a millisecond, Nico had crashed onto the floor with a pained "Ouch, that hurts!"

"…Rin!" Nico growled unhappily as she rubbed her bruised head.

"I-It's not my fault nya!" the orange haired girl shot up from the ground (where she had fallen right beside where Nico was) and exclaimed defensively. "M-Maki-chan was chasing me around –"

"W-What?! You're putting all the blame on me?" the red head snapped back.

"I don't care who was it, just watch it! I could've injured my face! What use is a super-idol if she can't maintain the flawlessness of her own cute face?!"

Nico swore that she could almost hear one of them muttering something rude but decided to let it go, given that her head really hurt and she had more pressing things to attend to.

"Hmph! Since I'm your senior, I'll let you two off now. I have to go now anyway." Nico stated as she grabbed her bag and left the room, leaving a guilty looking Rin scratching her hair sheepishly and an indignant red haired girl who was now heading towards her bag.

Eli sighed. _Some things never change._

"Shall we go too, Eli-chi?" Nozomi called out.

"Yes!" the ex-student council answered before turning to the remaining Muses in the room, "Are you girls coming too?"

Everyone, save for the two second years nodded.

"Honoka and Kotori?"

"We'll stay behind and wait for Umi-chan's Kyudo to end," Honoka smiled, waving at the girls who were heading towards the door.

"Alright! Make sure Umi doesn't overstress herself." Eli reminded as she, together with Nozomi, headed out as well.

"We will." Honoka clenched her fists tightly, a determined look on her face before she turned to look at her childhood friend.

"Shall we go look for Umi-chan now?"

Kotori gave an affirmative nod and smiled.

The duo thus head toward the Kyudo range.

* * *

A/N: A huge _thank you_ to all those who favourited/followed/reviewed this fanfic! Thanks! I apologise but it seems like i won't be able update this frequently due to long school hours and government exams. . But rest assured, i won't abandon this fanfic. On a side note, if anyone who's reading or following _Layers_ is also reading this...i would like to apologise as well for not updating for so long. Like this fic, i won't abandon _Layers_ too.

Once again, i don't own Love Live! and reviews are much appreciated! :)


	3. Chapter 3

3 – The heart trembles

* * *

As usual, the Kyudo range was extremely silent. No one was there except for a certain blue haired girl, who was currently taking aim at the target, her eyebrows scrunched up in intense concentration.

With poise and elegance, the bluenete released her arrow. The arrow flew across the range with a swift swoosh before making its mark on the target.

Bull's eye.

Exhaling, the blue haired girl immediately relaxed, only to hear the sounds of mild applause from behind. Startled, the archer spun around, and saw her childhood friends smiling at her. To be precise, one of them was smiling at her, while the other had an ear splitting grin on her face, still applauding loudly.

"H-Honoka…and Kotori…"

"Hi there, Umi-chan," Kotori smiled. It had been a long time since the ash grey haired girl seen her blue haired friend practicing in the archery range.

"What are you two doing here?" Umi looked confused as she placed her bow on the ground before walking towards the two.

"It's been a long time since all three of us walked home together," Honoka explained, scratching her cheeks a little, as if embarrassed, before continuing in a softer tone, "…and…we wanted to spend more time with you…Umi-chan…"

A slight blush coloured the bluenete's face. She was pleasantly surprised that her childhood friends had actually waited for her and offered to walk home together. Ever since μ's has started, the three childhood friends rarely go home together. Umi often has Kyudo practice while Kotori often has to leave early to her part-time job in Akihabara. More often than not, Honoka would end up going home by herself. The ginger haired girl would have stayed behind and waited for Umi but the bluenete had firmly insisted that Honoka should head home first. However, now with Student Council work, Umi would head to Kyudo much later than usual or head to the council room at a much later time, after Honoka and Kotori had left.

Therefore, Umi was rather glad and appreciated the fact that her two childhood friends had decided to wait for her today.

"Thank you, Honoka, Kotori," the blue haired girl expressed her thanks by giving them a megawatt smile before saying, "I'll clean up the range so wait for me for a bit!" And the bluenete was off.

Unbeknownst to Umi, the smile that she had given to her childhood friends had made a certain ginger haired girl flush a little, and the weird feeling she'd felt when she hugged Umi in the morning returned.

Honoka didn't understand why her heart had started to pound a tad faster, didn't understand why are cheeks were starting to warm, and she definitely didn't understand why she felt so immensely happy when Umi flashed that blinding smile at he– them just now.

All she knew was that Umi's smile had stirred something within her, and the bottom of her stomach suddenly felt funny.

Honoka didn't know how long she'd been in a daze but a voice suddenly snapped her out of it.

"Honoka? Are you alright?" Umi, who's now back in her winter uniform, now looked a little worriedly at her childhood friend.

"I-I'm fine-!" Honoka stuttered, her face reddening.

"Mmm…if you say so…" Umi looked at Honoka doubtfully but decided to drop it. She then wondered why Honoka's face looked so flush. Was she feeling unwell?

"S-Shall we go then?" the leader of μ's turned away from the bluenete, unable to look at her for too long.

Both made sounds of acknowledgement and the trio left the archery range.

* * *

Kotori had noticed.

She had noticed all the subtle changes in Honoka and in Umi too.

She'd noticed that Honoka was unusually flushed around Umi and vice versa – although Honoka's expressions were usually more open.

She started to wonder.

She sort of knew what was happening between the two – not that anyone one of them – _those dense blockheads _– knew it.

She wondered if she was right.

She wondered if those two were…

…

…falling in love with each other.

* * *

"Umi-chan, are you sure you're alright? You look like you're about to collapse from fatigue." Kotori asked, glancing over at the blue haired girl whose face looked a little pale as they walked together down the streets. Umi was walking in the middle, beside her two childhood friends and Kotori, who'd noticed that her blue haired friend seemed tired, couldn't help but worry about Umi. After all, Umi had been spending her time in the archery range after club activities while coming to school extremely early to finish up Council work.

"…I'm fine…don't worry," the said girl offered a smile. It was a rare chance that the three of them are able to go home together. She didn't want to ruin it by making her childhood friends worried about her health.

"Kotori-chan's right…" Honoka interjected, shuddering slightly as she remembered how she'd collapsed at the school rooftop during one of their more important live which cost them their chance in entering Love Live. "You have to take care of yourself, Umi-chan."

"Like you're the one to talk," Umi retorted.

"I've learnt my lesson!" Honoka cried out.

"Indeed she has…" Kotori, once again sided with the ginger haired girl. "Honoka-chan now doesn't push herself as much as she does and she often asks if the members of μ's are fine."

"Well…you have a point there…" Umi finally conceded. It wasn't as if the bluenete was deliberately finding faults with her ginger haired friend. In fact, she never really wanted to argue with Honoka that much. It's just that she couldn't help but want to correct her sloppy ways. Or maybe she was just imposing her ideals and viewpoints on her childhood friend. She wondered why she often has this urge though.

It was then a flash of pain shot through her head. Wincing slightly, Umi brought her palm against her forehead and pressed it against her head.

"Umi-chan?" Honoka looked worriedly over at Umi who was now gritting her teeth in an attempt to quell the growing pain.

"U-Umi-chan, Umi-chan!" the ginger haired girl immediately caught the bluenete when the blue haired girl's legs suddenly gave out.

"I-I'm fine…" Umi's voice sounded strained as she leaned against Honoka for support, breathing a little heavily.

"You don't look fine at all!" Honoka shot back. She was on the verge of panicking when she saw Umi caving out and looking so deathly pale.

"Umi-chan!" Kotori too, supported the older girl from the other side.

"I'm fine…" Umi's voice now sounded more firm. "L-Let's…just go home…"

"But –"

"Honoka-chan, let's bring Umi-chan home." Kotori said softly, giving the ginger haired girl a look before shaking her head slightly.

Honoka nodded reluctantly. She didn't like seeing Umi in pain, neither did she like weird feeling gnawing at the bottom of her stomach.

"Can you walk properly? Should we call the hospital instead?" Honoka couldn't help but voice out her worry.

"Honoka, don't worry. I'm fine." Umi sighed as she attempted to stand back up. "See? I'm fin–" Before Umi could finish her sentence, she staggered.

"…Umi-chan…" Kotori began, "You aren't fine at all."

"…I…"

"Umi-chan." Honoka bright blue eyes bore into hers.

"I..I'm sorry. My legs feel a little weak….and my head hurts."

"Then hold onto me or lean against me okay?" Honoka asked. "You can rely on me once in a while too you know."

"..I will…" Umi's answer was barely a whisper but the ginger haired girl caught it and grinned.

"Great, then let's hurry back to your house. You have to rest as soon as possible."

"T-Thank you…Honoka."

"You're welcome, Umi-chan!"

Kotori, who was now watching the two, could only smile inwardly to herself. _Umi is slowly learning to rely on Honoka-chan… That's great. _

As the trio walked silently down the street, Umi wobbled beside Honoka, her arm propped around the ginger haired girl's shoulder. Looking over at the other girl, Umi thoughts drifted off to when they were much younger when Honoka had dragged the unsuspecting Kotori and her out to a nearby playground and had them climb up a huge tree. Once she'd made up to the tree branch, the sheer height had scared her to death and she was clinging desperately onto Kotori for her dear life, sobbing. When they had somehow gotten down, Honoka had repeatedly apologised to the crying bluenete and had supported her, the way the ginger haired girl was now, back home as the blue haired girl then was trembling and shaking like a leaf, unable to walk properly.

Umi didn't realise that she was staring at Honoka until the ginger haired girl cleared her throat, seemingly embarrassed, "Um…Umi-chan…is there something on my face…?"

"N-No…" Umi stammered, her face burning several shades red when she got caught staring. _What am I doing? _

However, Umi was drawn back by the oceanic blue eyes in front of her. It was as if something magnetic force had compelled her to look into the bright orbs in front of her. She was mesmerized by how much it shone, and how much determination it could hold. If she were to be honest with herself, she would have realised that she was actually attracted to Honoka's eyes.

She could also feel Honoka's puffs of breaths from the coldness of the weather against the skin of her neck and she couldn't help but shiver slightly too. The warmness of her breaths was making the bluenete flush slightly, to which Honoka mistook it as Umi being a little ill.

"Are you okay? You looked a little red…" Honoka had once again voiced out her worries and concerns.

"For the millionth time…I'm fine…" Umi sighed. "…for now…" she added as an afterthought.

"Alright…"

"Ah! We've reached Umi-chan's house…" Kotori exclaimed.

Honoka was almost reluctant to let Umi go. She liked the feeling of Umi relying on her, and liked the feeling of the bluenete's back leaning against her.

"Um…Honoka…?" Umi started. She wondered why Honoka hadn't let go of her yet.

"Ah– I'm sorry…" the Student Council President immediately let go of Umi's arm.

"Take care, Umi-chan!" Kotori bid the older girl farewell just as Honoka waved, "Bye bye!"

"Thank you both for sending me home," Umi offered a polite smile in gratitude before she turned around and unlocked the door of her Japanese-style house.

"U-Umi-chan!" Honoka suddenly blurted out.

Umi turned around, her head titled questioningly.

"Um…" Honoka sputtered. _What on earth am I doing?! Why did I stop her? It's not like I won't see her tomorrow. Get a grip on yourself, Honoka._

"N-Nothing. Just…get well soon!" Honoka finally said, a hint of nervousness evident in her voice.

Umi nodded and mouthed "thank you" before closing the door, disappearing from Honoka's sight.

Honoka sighed out loud before mentally cursing herself for her foolish behaviour.

"Honoka-chan… "

"K-Kotori-chan…?"

"Are you…in love with Umi-chan…?"

* * *

Honoka lay on her bed, hugging her huge and fluffy teddy bear tightly.

Kotori's question had brought about a slew of feelings that crashed onto her all at once.

She felt confused, embarrassed and surprised all at once.

_"__Are you…in love with Umi-chan?"_

Kotori's words echoed inside her head.

The ginger haired girl sighed out loud, bringing her knees together and dropped sideward onto her soft bed.

"What should I do…?"

When Kotori dropped the question, Honoka couldn't say anything. They had gone home in silence, Kotori seemingly understanding that the ginger haired girl needed time and space to think.

Now that she was actually home, in the comforts of her room and bed, Honoka still couldn't derive an answer.

_Heart pounding at the sight of her especially her smile, check. _

_Getting irrationally irritated over her closeness with Kotori, check. _

_Getting extremely worried about her and wants to alleviate her stress, check. _

_Wanting her to rely on me more, check. _

_Loving it when she's hugging me, check._

_Wants to hug her more, check. _

_Not wanting her to leave, check._

_Wonders how her lips feel and taste like...wait what? Check. _

"Ugh…"

"This is so hard…" Honoka groaned. She thought that maybe…just maybe she was in love with the blue haired girl.

"I like hugging her…and she's beautiful too…like a princess…" Honoka muttered to herself. "She's kind and helpful too, though she always yells at me…"

"…and just the thought of her hating me…" the ginger haired girl clutched her chest, as if in pain, "…makes my heart ache…"

…

"…talking to myself… and reasoning to myself out loud has gotta be a sign of insanity…"

_Maybe I should ask Kotori-chan…_

Sighing, the ginger haired girl ruffled her hair before she flipped open her phone.

Before she could chicken out, the leader of μ's sent a quick text to the ash grey haired girl.

[_Hey, Kotori-chan. What does it mean to like someone? __ ]

Within a few seconds, a reply came.

[_When you constantly think about that person? Or when you want to  
make tons of memories with her (I'll assume it's a girl since it's Umi-chan  
we're talking about)? Hmm…you'll feel really happy with her and you  
miss her once she's not with you. _^o^_ and…you seemed like you really, really  
like Umi-chan. Will you confess to her? _O/O ]

Honoka blushed at the last sentence before sending in a quick reply.

[Thank you, Kotori-chan! (≧▽≦) I don't really know if I'm going to confess  
though…]

And a second later:

[You're welcome! All the best and good luck with Umi-chan! I'll be  
supporting you! ;D]

Honoka flipped her phone shut and sighed again.

"Yosh! I'll let Umi-chan know of my feelings tomorrow!" the ginger haired girl decided, a determined look in her blue eyes.

* * *

**A/N:** A huge thank you to _gardapati_, _PrinceNoctis,_ _Bleach010915,_ _guest_ and _OreoReo user_ for the reviews! :) and let's not forget those who favourited and is following this fanfic of mine! Thank you~

I'm really sorry but the next update would take a much longer time than this particular update.

On another note...this chapter didn't really sit well with for for some reason. I just felt that i could've described and conveyed both Honoka's and Umi's feelings better and elaborate Kotori's stance on all of these. But...as of now, i'll just leave it as it is. Hopefully the next chapter would be better. o

* * *

_Next Chapter: The heart breaks_


End file.
